Severe weather was not expected Tuesday, so the tornado came as a surprise to residents as it tracked through the area at roughly 2:30 p.m.

An RV slammed into a neighboring house, leaving a gaping hole in the roof. No one was hurt inside but the county emergency management director declared the home unlivable.

"It's very upsetting. I think I'm still trying to go through and comprehend everything, but the most important thing is that my husband is fine and my grandbabies are fine. It's a little devastating not knowing what to do next," homeowner Becky Rackley said.

Numerous other homes had damaged siding and roofs. Air conditioners were blown away from the sides of homes and fences were knocked down and strewn about the area.

Volunteers with the the National Guard responded and a shelter was set up at Bridgeport Elementary School. It was shut down a short time later when no residents needed it.

Residents were asked to avoid areas damaged by the storm.

Tom Spalding, spokesman for the Chimney Safety Institute of America, was in a training session when the storm arrived and snapped a good picture of the twister.

"Our phones started ringing with the weather alert ," Spalding said. "I was watching the clouds. All of a sudden, they just kind of formed a V shape."

The tornado-producing storm weakened as it tracked northeast.

Rotation was evident in the storm from weather radar, and a storm spotter said rotation was seen in a wall cloud in the storm. Wall clouds are often precursors to funnel clouds and tornadoes.